Improvement in hoop-skirts



UNITED STATES LEVI S. SC'JFIELD, OF BELMONT, MASSACHUSETTS.

BMPROVEMENT INv HOOP-SKIRTS.

Speciiieation forming part of Letters Patent No. 40,285, dated October13, 1863.

llo (LZ/ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEVI S. SooFiELD, of Belmont, in the county ofSuffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in theConstruction of Hoop-Skirts; and

I do hereby declare that the following, taken in connection with thedrawing, which accompanies and forms part of this specification, is adescription of my invention sufficient to enable those skilled in theart to practice it.

My invention consists in an improved manner of applying or fasteningthose of the vertical tapes of a skirt which support and hold in placethe rear or posterior portion of the horizontal hoops or springs.

The accompanying drawing represents a rear elevation of a skirt, showingmy invention as embodied thereupon.

The usual method of applying the tapes elnployed in the style of skirtshown to support the rear portion thereof, has been to run a main tapedown the center of thc back ofthe hoops, and to cause to branch ordiverge therefrom other tapes, which, being fastened by stitches at ornear the top of the main tape, radiate therefrom, extending down tothebottom of the skirt and from the central line around to the oppositesides ofthe hoops. This application of the tapes is found to conduce toa full, easy, and graceful set77 of the skirt, with a desirable contournot otherwise easily obtained. Skirts so -made have, however, thisobjection: Most of the weight of the sustained skirts and dress worncomes upon and is supported by this rear portion of the hoops, causing agreat drag upon the hoops and tapes. The trail of the dress, also, isvery liable to be trod upon. The result is that the stitches confiningthe diverging tapes to the main tape soon give way, and pulling on themain tape cause it to start away from the waistband, allowing thesprings to collapse and the dress to become awry in its appearance,besides soon ruining the skirt. My object has been to so fasten or applythese tapes to the central tape and waistband as to render it difficult,if not impossible, to tear or break them away in the ordinary wear towhich the skirt issubjected.

In the drawings, a. denotes the waistband; b b, Src., the hoops orsprings; c, the main tape, and d d, Snc., the diverging and sustainingtapes. After applying the tapes d d in the usual manner, as has beendescribedthat is to say, by stitching their upper ends to and upon theLipper part of the main tape c and the adjacent part of the waistband-Iapply over the whole of them, or so as to cover all the connecting partsthereof, a T-shaped strap, e, made of leather or other suitablematerial, and stitched iirmly through both main tape and side tn pes,thehorizontal arms ffserving to fasten the ends of the upper tapes, d,directly to the waistband, while the vertical arm g securely fastens thetops of the other tapes to the main tape c.

It will now be seen that the strain upon these side tapes, instead ofcoming upon the waistband and main tape c, is transferred in agreatdegree to this dorsal strap g, which, being generally made of kid orother similar leather or material, serves greatly to improve thestrength and wear ofthe skirt.

What l claim as my invention is- The application ofthe auxiliary' dorsalstrap e, when so applied as to connect and fasten together the main tapec, diverging tapes d d, and waistband a, substantially as set forth.

L. S. SGOFIELD.

Witnesses:

J. B. CROSBY, Fit/mois GoULD.

